With the development of in-line skates, skaters are moving faster and traveling over surfaces that are not as uniform as in the past. This has resulted in many serious injuries from falls. Effective helmets, elbow and knee pads are now available. In a forward fall, it is instinctive to move the hands forward to break the fall. This often results in serious injury to wrist from hyperextension of the joint as well as trauma to the hand. Hand and wrist protective gloves for various sports such as bowling are well known. With the recent popularity of in-line skating and the injuries resulting therefrom, many vendors are now providing hand wrist protective gloves for that sport as well.
These gloves generally encircle and enclose the hand, leaving the ends of the fingers and thumb free. They extend down the wrist and provide some rigid reinforcement between palm and wrist. They are confining, making use of the hands very awkward such as in putting on the second glove. They enclose so much of the hand that the vigorous skater will soak the gloves through with perspiration within a short time. Many skaters discard the gloves, preferring the potential danger of injury to the immediate discomfort of the protective gloves.